Gotta Catch'em All
by Typomouse
Summary: First started this back in 1999, when I went by the name Anymouse after a character I played on a MU*. Mi'ko, Laif, Mi'ko's parents, are all mine. The person who created Chief McPherson is my best friend, and I have permission to use him, still. So nyeah.
1. Chapter 1 -- Mi'ko Steps OUt

Gotta Catch'em All  
-- Anymouse, lmorrigan@alaska.com  
  
Disclaimer: Pokemon, Gotta Catch'em All, and all that junk belongs to Nintendo. hey. Fanfics are that. Stories written by fans. Mi'ko, her parents, and assorted other names in here belong to me. Yeah. me! Anymouse! :D heh. Anyway, enjoy.  
*** Chief McPherson appears courtesy of his creator from Pokemon: A New Beginning MUSH. He is being used with permission. Please do not use him without permission from his creator. Thank you.  
Note: I use songs that I find on CDs and hear on the radio to accent my works when I find them appropriate for the section I am working on. I usually pick one song that explains the whole story, and put it at the beginning. For this peice, I chose the chorus of My Life, by Billy Joel. I felt, after it was suggested by a friend, and hearing it, that it was appropriate for the character I am depicting.   
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"Don't need you to worry for me 'cause I'm alright  
I don't want you to tell me it's time to come home  
I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life  
Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone  
I never said you had to offer me a second chance  
I never said I was a victim of circumstance  
I still belong, don't get me wrong  
And you can speak your mind  
But not on my time.  
--My Life   
Billy Joel  
  
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In my own little corner in my own little chair  
I can be whatever I want to be  
On the wing of my fancy, I can fly anywhere  
And the world will open it's arms to me!  
--In My Own Little Corner   
Rogers and Hammerstien  
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Part 1 -- Mi'ko Steps Out  
Mi'ko sat at the table, crestfallen over the sounds of her parents. Her mom as she sat across from her, trying to comfort her teenage self with a hand on her tightly clenched fist. Her dad as he paced back and forth, and barked at her, his simple (and so confusing) reasons of WHY she couldn't be a pokemon trainer, why she couldn't go out on her own, and do as others of her town had done: hunt and catch pokemon.  
"It's absurd!" her father croaked. "Your just a child, Mi'ko. Your too young to go out into the world. " "But Daddy I'm ALMOST eighteen! I'm not a little girl any more." "EXACTLY Why I don't want you out there! All those.. those BOYS! And.. And... " He groaned, and placed his knuckles against the table, reminding her of all those interrigations bits from the cop shows on TV. "And we just don't want you getting hurt, Mi'ko." Her mom said, in that too sweet, 'you'll understand someday' voice she had taken to using a lot these days. "But I-" "NO BUTS! Your NOT Getting a Pokemon, and your NOT Going out there." Her father said, sternly. He was still in his buisness suit fresh from work. A heavy frown on his face, he turned away.   
"Joy, what's for dinner. " He said, to her mom then, a sure sign that things were over. No. She wouldn't let them just shove it aside like this. Not again. "YOU'VE NEVER UNDERSTOOD!" She said, springing to her feet, her silverblue eyes scrunched angrilly. "Never! And.. And you never will!" And with that, though she knew she was making a scene she would never have even imagined making, she flurried out of the room, and up the stairs to her bedroom, leaving her parents behind. They were, to say the least, stunned. And angry as well. As she slammed down the door in the floor that opened up into her loft 'apartment' she could hear them yelling at each other about how she was the one who never understood, and who's side of the family it came from. But she knew, oh, she know, they were hurt. And for once? It felt -good-. She threw herself onto her bed with a loud gasp, and grabbed her ratty old Kakuna doll, which she clutched to her chest, as she sniffed, and sobbed into the round insect head.  
A tidy room, that's what she had. Always tidy. Always perfect. Perfect little Mi'ko. She cast a glowering set of ice-blues to a picture on the table near the window. Her and her parents, with bunch of Pokemon she'd helped her mom take care of at the PokeCenter one summer when she was ten. That was when she started taking Trainer classes. Another picture, of her at the Zoo in Fuschia one summer when she was five -- Her mother's job again, because of some sick raichus. Pokemon had always been her life. That's all she did. Was read. And Watch Shows. About Pokemon. Her walls were lined with Pokemon posters, her bed covered in Pokemon sheets, her stuffed animals were all really PokeDolls used in fights. She had small statues of Pokemon on her table with her pictures (all in pokemon themed frames) and her book shelves? They were filled, brimming, with every book she could get her usually grubby hands on, that was about Pokemon. And then...   
And then there was her cap. Her baseball hat, with the official slogan. "Gotta Catch'em All." she said, softly, whispering, as she sat up on her bed, and wandered over to a body-length mirror she'd stood along one wall. The baseball cap, set upon her head, bill backwards, was a gift from her grandmother before she died. Her grandmother had been one of the BEST story tellers ever. And had taught her -alot- about pokemon. She looked herself over, and sighed, thinking about her summers at her grandmother's Ranch, riding a rapidash named Whizzer.   
And now look at her. She tossed her head, to clear the fluffy golden bangs from her eyes, and ran her fingers through her long blond hair, as she picked the cap up, and hung it on the corner of the mirror. Look at her. A mess, as usual, dirt smudging her pale cheeks. Her elbow had a bandage on it. Skinned, when trying to track a raticate. Her dirty once-white tee-shirt, with it's torn sleeves -- A Pidgey hunt -- was nearly hidden under the breast of her coveralls (faded denim overalls, with frayed leg cuffs). And, under the baggy cuffs of her denem pants, a pair of red and white high-tops, that were almost worn out, peeked at the mirror. She sighed, and spun around, looking at herself. "I am SUCH a mess. " she said, softly.  
"No your not!" The mirror said, as her grantedly overactive imagination took over. "Your a charming, considerate, SPECIAL young lady." "Peh, your just saying that because you want me to polish you. " she replied, to the slightly washed-out looking image of her in the mirror. "Am not!" The image replied, angrilly, putting a hand to it's hip. She replied, in very much the same manner. "Well then what do you suggest I do to prove it to -them-?!" she said, pointing towards the trap door. "Simple!" Mi'ko blinked to herself, and stared at the Image. "Go on.." She said, wanting to hear this. "You get all your stuff together in that backpack you bought for hiking.. and run away from home!" "RUN AWAY FROM HOME?!" "SHH!" "Sorry. Run away from home?" "Yes. Tonight. While their at that stupid banquet of theirs."  
The image dissipated from her mind as she looked towards the door of her room, and stepped backward. As she bumped into her bed, she sat. Run away. The thought whirled in her mind. How could she even begin to think of running away from home? Where would she go? To Pewter, of course, the answer was so simple she had to laugh. To Pewter, where Professor Oak was. The same Professor Oak who had given out pokemon to such trrainers as Lavender's own Mr. Fuji, to Sliph Co's boss, and, yes, a chansey to her own mother. Again, she laughed. "Yes... Run away. On my own. Because on my own.. no one can say no except me!" she grinned, hugging her knees to her chest. It was perfect! Great idea, Mi'ko! Thank you, Mi'ko! She grinned, and looked to the clock on her wall. OOh. It was almost time for her parents to leave.. And she had a lot to do now.  
The banquet, was, of course, in honor of her parents' recent contibutions to Mr. Fuji's Pokemon Adoption/Relocation center. But Mi'ko wasn't invited. "not a place for children." her dad had remarked. Well. She'd show HIM who the child was now. She pulled the backpack out from under her bed, and, dragging it to her dresser, began loading it with random items pulled from the drawers. "I'll show 'em. " she grunted, as she stuffed a final item into the biggest pocket. Wow. still enough space. She looked over to her book shelf, and randomly grabbed Wild Pokemon Guides, stuffing them in as well. Then her hair brush. Gotta keep her hair nice and brushed. She packed, as well, a mirror, even though she figured she'd never need it. She had no make up, after all.   
The sound of a door downstairs closing caught her attention, and she ran to the window in time to see her parents starting down the street towards the more inhabited parts of Lavender Town. "Good. No. Great. " She waited till they were just out of sight.. Living on a dead end street was great for that, before, grabbing the backpack, she hurried to the door of her room, and pulled it up and open. Yes. Downward, to freedom. As she hopped her way off the last step, she banged into a wall with her hip. "OOF!" Oh yes. Can't forget the first aid kit. She grabbed two of the three her mom always kept in a closet, and shoved them in as well, before grabbing, too, her tooth brush, tooth paste, and, sheepishly, her rubber Psyduckie. Ah, the simple pleasures. She dragged it then, not caring to lift it all the way, yet, to the kitchen, grabbing random items like bananas, and carrots, as well as a can opener, some canned goods, and a set of utensils to eat with. There. That should hold her for a while. At least until she can get to Fuschia. She nodded in satisfaction, before blinking. She forgot something important!  
Whirling her way up the stairs, she grabbed her hat, plopped it onto her head the way she liked it, and dashed back down as fast as she could. She fastened all the pokcets shut on the backpack, and, hefting it up onto her shoulders, looked at herself in one of the mirrors in the kitchen. "Nice, Mi'ko. Wonderful. " she grinned. Grabbing her jacket, and her wallet, she walked to the door of her house, and, throwing it open, stared at the night with shining eyes. Freedom stretched out before her. Now all she had to do was follow the beckoning call.. of stardom. And so,taking a deep breath of air, she strode, out, into the night, closing the door behind her, and then walked her way briskly down the street, and into the world.  
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"I wanna be the very best, that there ever was.." the bellowing voice called out down the road from Varidian to Fuschia. "To catch them is my true test, to train them is my real cause!" Mi'ko, cheery and bright, sang as loud as she could. Not to keep herself company, as one might think of the young girl walking alone, but, to alert any wild pokemon that she is around. She'd heard singing would keep them away from her, or, at least, keep her out of some trouble. And she didn't need wild pokemon chasing after her when she had neither pokeballs, nor a tame one already in her posession. She did, however (thankfully!) have well over enough money to fully fund herself for the time being. At least until she got her pokemon and started battling people! And she was gonna do that! Oh yeah! She had even already decided what kind of pokemon she wanted the most. "A Meowth. " She said to herself again, rolling thr words over her tounge. "Meowth. Meaaaooowth. " she tried saying it a few times, like the pokemon it'self might, and laughed. "I sound so convincing!"  
A rustling in the bushes, unheard, behind her. Apparently she wasn't the only one who thought so. A female nidoran peered at the human from the deep grass as she walked along. And narrowed it's eyes. A human. and from the noises it was making, it had to have one of their annoying pets with it. Suddenly, it sprang from the grass, with a cry of "NIDO-RAAAN!" causing the human to whirl about. Mi'ko's eyes went wide, as well as her jaw going slap. "Now.. No.. you.. you don't want to attack.. " she attempted..and failed. "OH SHOOT!" she yelped as she turned on her heels, hefted her bag, and took off running as fast as she could.. Nidoran in tow. "YAAAAIIII!" "NIDO NIDO! RAAAAAN!" Down the road the two went, until she found herself staring at.. Oh... Crud. A hedge maze spanned out before her, and she tried to think hurredly why she didn't remember it from when she was younger. Crud. She looked behind her at the nidoran (still charging.. uhh... uhh.. ) And, pausing only long enough to heft her backpack up again as she hopped from one foot to the other, dove into the maze.  
Twisting, turning, knotting, spinning, the maze went on FOREVER! And that Nidoran on her heels didn't make things any easier. Suddenly, she came to a dead end. "Oh.. My... Goddish." she grunted, eyes going wide as she suddenly turned. What could she do, what could she.. Her purse. She slung the item off her shoulders, and peered at the Nidoran as it got closer, growling, ready to attack. If it got even an inch away from her she was going to whack it upside the head. She kept stepping back, too.. The Nidoran suddenly charged, lunging to attack, as she jumped backward, swinging the purse. But before the heavy sack of material could hit the pokemon, she was suddenly falling backwards through the wall of the maze with a "OOMF!!" and another, shrieked, "YAAAAI!" as the little pokemon suddenly sprang to life, recovering from the shock of seeng the girl fall.  
The sound of crashing and a girl's yelps drew attention to a couple of trainers at the end of the maze, who could only stare as suddenly a screaming blur dashes past as fast as her legs could carry her, followed by a rather angry looking Nidoran, who, thankfully, stopped at the end of the maze. Mi'ko, however, didn't stop running into she came upon the flat stretch of land that stood before the watch tower. She stood, panting, for a moment, slightly hunched over, her hands on her knees. "Holy Magikarp." She gasped, looking over her shoulder to see the Nidoran disappearing into the maze again. She let out a heaved breath panted towards the ground, and sat there, staring at it for the longest time. She never knew standing still could be so enjoyable! After several minutes like this, just staring at the ground, she righted herself, and, wiping at her forehead in releif, started down the road walking slowly, to take the time and enjoy the trip. Well. What little of it she had left before reaching Fuschia.  
Reaching the look out post, she opened the door, and entered, attempting to look like your normal travellor for the watch guard inside. Unfortunetly, like they say, most of time time when someone's trying to look innocent, their actually not. "Going somwhere, young lady?" The guard said, looking up from his pokemon magazine at her suspiciously. Crud. She stopped, and nodded merrily. "Just going to Fuschia, sir. To see the Safari Zone." "Mmhmm. Let me see your lisence." A grumbled sigh met the officer's request, but, She flashed her lisence. "Can I go now, Puh-leeease?" The officer returned the distressed whine with a grumble. "Yes yes, of course. But be careful! There's been Rocket sightings near the Bike Path." "Yes, yes of course. I know, the Rockets are quite a threat." She shrugged it off. At this point in time? The rockets were not a problem. The hunger she could feel knotting in her belly, however, was. And she really didn't feel like popping out a can of cold soup like she had done for lunch. And then there was the matter of sleep. It was already, gosh, 10:00 AM, and she had been walking all night. As she passed through the doors of the watch tower, she gave the guard a smile, which went unnoticed, and headed into the town known as Fuschia.  
A town like no other, the brochures said about this place. They were all probably right. She didn't know. But as she looked about, she was certainly in awe. The town was, to say the least, big. Much bigger then little ole' Lavender. A town like this, she could get to like. More action then her home. And no one was sad. Everyone was smiling. She walked her way down the streets slowly, nodding her head polightly to everyone as they passed by, cheerful and calm. She pauses, long enough, to check a small map of the city placed upon a sign at the entrance, and then headed for where it said the Pokemart was -- Near the Zoo and Safari zone. She needed supplies. She needed them bad. As she approached the building she smiled, and pulled out her wallet from her purse, before pushing her way through the doors.  
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"And your sure there's nothing you can do?" Reynard Meyuzami said, sadly, to the PokeForce officer before him. "Nothing at all?" The officer shook his head. "We can't do much except wait fouty-eight hours, and have you file a Missing Persons." Joy, Reynard's wife, the mother of the missing, burried her face against his arm, and sobbed. "Oh my little Mi'ko.. Out there.. in the world.. Who knows what's going to happen." The officer sighed, and shook his head. This was a sad state of affairs. "I'm sorry. " He said one last time, before whistling to his Growlithe, who came to heel, And then entered the police-colored pokeball willingly. The officer clambered atop his bicycle, and was very soon off, biking down the road. Joy turned to Reynard with a frown, watching the officer leave, and then wanderd her way sadly towards the house. "This could have all been different, If only we'd have just let her go. " Reynard followed, slowly, frowning. "I know Joy, I know."  
The door of the loft apartment was up as Joy made her way solumnly up the steps and into the pokemon-decorated room. She looked about sadly as images of her daughter raced through her mind. Mi'ko, sitting in front of the pet-shop begging for a growlithe at age four. Mi'ko, helping a baby doduo hatch from it's egg in the Zoo of Fuschia, at age seven. Mi'ko, the day she graduated from Trainer School, as was denied to take the gift of a Ponyta from her grandmother, who, instead, blessed her with a cap. Mi'ko, the day of the funeral of the very same grandmother a month later. That cap. It was the first thing Mi'ko put on in the morning, and the last to be taken off at night. So they weren't surprised when they found it and her gone the next morning after a late night. They were, however, surprised to find that several of her belongings, including her back pack for hiking, were gone. Which lead to the only conclusions they could muster: Either Mi'ko had run away.. or been kidnapped.  
Joy wandered her way towards the bed, and picked up the Kakuna doll. She remembered giving that to her daughter when she was only three. That stupid pokedoll had went with her everywhere with her when she was younger... so why not now? Slumping down on her daughter's bed, she clutched the plush toy tight to her chest, and burried her face against the back of it's head. It was a comfort, smelling the same, dirty, dingey smell her daughter often had, the smell that mixed so easily, so beautifully with the jasmine and rose perfume Mi'ko treasured, and everyone else seemed to loath. Silently, laying down, her head against the pillow, she began to cry, unkowingly recreating the last act their daughter had done as a part of their family, once more soiling the fuzzy plush toy with the tears of a heart in pain. And silent, from the stairs, Reynard watched on, somehow unable to feel anything but guilt. He had chased her away. 


	2. Chapter 2 -- High Seas Hijinks

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I'm sailing away,   
Set an open course for the virgin sea  
'Cause I've got to be free,   
Free to face the life that's ahead of me  
On board I'm the captian, so climb aboard  
We'll search for tomorrow on every shore  
And I'll try, oh lord I'll try, to carry on  
-- Come Sail Away   
Styx  
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Part 2 -- High Seas Hijinks  
Mi'ko walked her way out of the Pokemart feeling great. She had spent a good deal of her saved money on supplies, that was true, but, now she had enough items in her back pack to get her to Pallet and on her way to training. Now she just had to figure a way to GET to Pallet without being caught. She pulled a map from the pocket of her coveralls, and opened it up, scanning it over. Without a doubt, the easiest way would be to sail to Cinnibar Islands, and from there, to Pallet. But, the big problem now, was finding someone willing to take her there. It would have to be someone with a surfing pokemon.. preferably a big one. Maybe a Lapras. But the only person she knew in Fuschia who might even have a surfing pokemon was.. "Of course! Laif!" She said, snapping her fingers, as she started runnind down the street, folding the map as she ran. Laif, of course, Laif would know what to do.  
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Laif Osaka stood outside his small hut on the beach, watching the surf as it rose and fell. Being the life guard here was not only boring, but, monotonous. The shallow pools where people swam were easy enough to patrol. But the deeper water, where some foolish water lovers often swam, was infested with Tentacools, and other dangerous water pokemon. He sighed, and muttered. It was time for his shift change, anyway, and his big brother, Cliff, would be getting up soon. And then what? He'd probably head towards the boardwalk to watch the 'chics' who never wanted to pay any attention to him anyway, maybe catch a good trainer fight. He sighed, and whirled around, stalking back and forth from the beach chair on which he often sat to the door of the small hut, taking a moment to glance in the mirror his brother had hung from the unberella pole next to the chair. "Peh. I wish I was Cliff. " The (some would call scrawny) boy said angrilly, as he attempted to look his buffest, by flexing his muscles.   
Laif, like his brother, was tanned finely, to the point where you could almost mistake them for 'Indian Boys', were it not for their equally alike bleached blond hair. But that's where the equalities stopped. Laif's brother, Cliff, kept his hair somewhat on the short side, a 'flat top' as it were, while he, Laif, had hair that fell near to the small of his back. He always kept it in a ponytail, too, out of his face, because he was always working. But despite the work he was endlessly tasking at, he was still.. well. A ninety-eight pound weakling, they would say. And did. And he was short, to boot, only about five-six, while his brother was a whopping six eleven. And handsome to boot. Laif was.. well. To put it bluntly, he was often mistaken as a girl in his regiular clothing. Which was baggy jeans, a too big shirt, and a pair of blue colored sunglasses. He loved to dress 'cool', as he thought it was. Right now, however, he was dressed in his 'work' attire. A pair of trunks, and a towel draped across his back, with his blue-tinted sunglasses perched near the tip of his nose. Grumbling, Laif took a look at his water-proof Golduck watch, and grumbled. Stalking over to the door of the hut, he began kicking the door. "CLIFF! CLIFF WAKE UP! CLI-"  
"Hi Laif!" The voice was so close to his ear that it made him jump. "YAAAIK!" He wheeled to face his assailent to find himself staring at- "Mi'ko?!" "Laif!" "WHOOOOOOAAAAA! DUUUUDE!" the two called in unision, as he suddenly scooped the shorter (by inches) teen in his arms and swung her laughing about. "Mi'ko, chica! Long time no see!" he said, laughing. "Yeah, I know! Hey, check it, I'm finally out on my own." Mi'ko grinned. One little lie never hurt. "DUUUDE! Really? Whoa, Congrats! So have you got a 'mon yet?" Laif said, eagerly. Hey. Finally, excitement in his day! "Naw, I don't have a 'mon yet, but I'm on my way to Pallet to get one.. " "Pallet, huh? Well, your a little far off, checking here at the beach. " he chuckled.  
Suddenly, the door wang open, whacking him in the back as Cliff, grumpile, stuck his head out. "WHAT IS IT NOW YOU-Hey, where'd you go? Laif? Laif.. Oh. You must be BEHIND the door. " he peered around the door at his younger brother, and blinked. "Mi'ko? Is that you?" He grinned, and stepped his way out of the hut, almost stepping on his brother's feet. Laif was so stunned he was speechless. "Dude. You sure have grown, squirt. " The older boy grinned. Suddenly, his watch began beeping. "Hmm? Oh, Sorry! Gotta catch the waves. Life Guard's work is never done!" He said, giving the friends a thumbs up as he took off jogging towards the shore. Mi'ko blinked, and looked from the departing Cliff to the still rather stunned Laif. "Laif, let's go inside, we have a lot to catch up on!" she said, cheerily, as she took his hand, and lead him into the hut.   
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"So your saying.." Laif said, as he enjoyed the quick meal of rice he'd prepaired for themselves, with a pair of chopsticks, "You need a ride to Cinnebar, and then to Pallet? Over the water?" Mi'ko, digging at a bowl of rice hungrilly with a pair of chopsticks herself, nodded. "I thought maybe you could help, since you and your brother are, well.. " She began, trying to find an.. articulate.. way to say it. "Sea-Freaks." Laif finished, grinning. "S'all right, Mi'ko, chica, you can say it." He grinned, setting his bowl to the table top upon which he sat. "Y'know, your just in luck. We DO have a surf-going Pokemon now. And he's fairly big. Ever hear of something called a Lapr-" "Lapras. Huge water pokemon. Their nifty. " she finished, grinning. Yes, this was perfect! If Laif could take her to Pallet, then she would be sure she'd have a safe ride. And, a friend to talk to. "Well. " blink blink. "OKay, so you know what a Lapras is. " Laif said, grinning sheepishly. What was he thinking?! Of COURSE Mi'ko'd know what a Lapras is. She's the original Poke-Maniac. Or, so Laif thought to himself quietly.   
"Silly, yes I do. So, when can we leave?" Mi'ko asked, hopefully. "In an hour?" "Whoa whoa, you wanna leave already? Chica, for one thing, you look bushed. You need sleep. For another, it's Cliff's Lapras. I'd have to trade him one of mine. And the only 'mon I got he'd want is my baby-girl. " he said, pointing to a picture of a Vaporean on the wall. Mistique, the pokemon in question, was currently curled up under the table happily sleeping. Being a vaporean, she had the odd ability to survive on land and in water. Though she did constantly need to be sprayed with water when she got too hot. Mi'ko frowned. "Well, you could get her back, right?" She said, biting her lip as it seemed the sailbaot of dreams was suddenly taking on water.   
Laif sat there in thought for a moment, chewing. Mi'ko, frowning, turned on the only girlish skill she had mastered -- the pout. "Please, Laif? It would mean so much to me.. " She pleaded, eyes looking near to tears. Laif, frowning, sighed. "Okay okay, I s'pose so. But we have to be careful out there. There's some nasty Tentacools out there in those waters. And you have to take a nap while I gett'er ready. I can't have you falling off because you fall asleep." Mi'ko brightened, and hopped to her feet, hugging him. "Thank you! Oh thank you Laif! I knew I could count on you!" "Uhh.. yes.. Of course. " The stunned boy said, blinking.   
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She was bound to the floor in chains. Had been beaten beyond recognition by the guards of her cell. They had done the unimagineable to her. "Misfit!" They declared. "Runaway!" They shouted. She looked up, her eyes searing with the pain of tears against swollen puffy cheeks. Punched. Brutalized. -Punished-. The guards of her cell laughed. The guards.. who were her parents. "You'll never understand!" her father decreed mockingly. "We don't want to hurt you... Much!" Mocked her mother from the shadows, mocking with laughter so cold that she shivered. She wrapped her arms about her as best she could, her wrists and ankles shackled, trying to comfort herself without much success. And all around her, besides their mocking, pointed laughter, was the laughing of many voices. Voices that made their way out of the woodworks as evil looking pokemon crept their wat forth from the shadows, their normally soulful eyes blazon red as blood, or burning embers. Shadowy ghosts with malintent.. who surrounded her. Threatened to engulf her. And she fought. she shook. She tried to rip herself free, as the sobbing broke from her throat, just before the largest fo them number came flying for her, it's fangs bared to--  
"Mi'ko!" She was being shaken, the dream was shattering, she was waking. "Mi'ko wake up, Gosh, Mi'ko, you had me so scared, you were tossing and turning and-" She forced her eyes open slowly, unsure if the dream had ended entiredly, as her bleary gaze fell upon a mishapen face.. A face that slowly took the shape of Laif's as her vision cleared. "Wuh?" She asked still groggy, still unsure. "Laif?" She blinked a few more times, before bringing her hands to her eyes, and rubbing away the sleep. "Mi'ko, are you all right? You were crying, in your sleep, and kept saying no to someone, it had me so scared, I thought you were going to fall off Laplace, and I'd have to jump in after you!" As Mi'ko coughed, and blushed, "MMm, it was just a nightmare.. Thanks for waking me. How long have I been asleep?" She said. "Ever since we shoved off. See? We're in the deep water, now. "  
And indeed, they were. She remebered, only vaguely, the manuevering of the large animal into the water. Having had trouble sleeping during the time it took them to prepare Laplace, for that was the Lapras' name, Cliff had given her some herbal tea, that was supposed to make her drowsy. The boys were heavy into herbal teas, because before they had come to the big city they had lived with their parents on a small island just off shore. Their parents, 'Junebug' and 'Ace' (Those were not their real names, but, it had been so long since anyone called them anything else that that was simply how they were known) had been (and were) naturalists, choosing to study wild pokemon in their natural habitats, and were very strict on using nothing that wasn't straight from nature. The tea had quite apparently worked, for she had slept through what Laif called the roughest of the ride -- leaving port. Now they were were peacfully sailing along the placid blue water. So far, there had been no attacks, but, then, Laif and Cliff had supplied the sea-farers with Max Repels to keep everyone safe. And, a blessing, Cliff had taken a Psyduck off Laif's hands, instead of the Vaporean that was now sleeping at their feet upon the back of the giant lapras. Mi'ko had watched the bargain closely, while trying to sleep. And believed it was more Cliff's care over his brother 'The Twirp' then it was 'Aw she's no good if she only likes you..'  
"Hmmf.. A storm's brewing." Laif said, looking to the horizon, breaking her thought concentration. She looked towards where he was pointing, and frowned. The sky had turned a sickly black, and the wind was beginning to pick up, sending the water around them arching in small waves. "We better hold onto Laplace pretty tight. Mistique, Return!" he said, returning the Vaporean to her pokeball, and clipping it back onto the necklace holder he kept it in when swimming. Couldn't get it wet, after all. He was, she noted (as she hadn't been very much awake to earlier) wearing an odd getup, a long, baggy sleeved tie-dyed shirt, a pair of belbottem jeans, and a large rainbow colored hat that kept his hair from getting tangled, with his pony-tail hidden under it. She had to stifle a laugh. He looked at her as, standing, he took the time to sling his backpack onto his back, and hand her hers, from over the rims of his blue-tinted sunglasses. "yes? Is there somethign wrong with me?" "Hmm.. No.. No Laif. I was just admiring your-- " "Articulate taste in fashion." he finished, grinning wryly. "Go ahead and laugh.. Mudshark. " he grinned, at her, from the corner of his eye, as she chuckled. They did this often, the play fighting. It was friendship.The main body of the storm was far enough away that they would have time to prepare for it. And preparation was what they hurried now to complete. She slung her backpack over her back, and, with him, helped 'batton down the hatches' by winding a rope around the lapras' sturdy chest like a seatbelt for the two of them. The clouds were billowing thickly around them as Laif started working on tying a knot in the rope. Almost as soon as they were safely tucked against Laplace's back, the storm, with a crashing like a train wreck, hit. "WHEN WE REACH THE EYE OF THE STORM, WE SHOULD BE SAFE FOR A WHILE!" Laif yelled, over the roar of the waves and wind about them. They were rough, the waves, and they could quite easily feel the slamming of the lapras' body in the waters. Mi'ko hugged tight against the pokemon's neck, while at the same time clinging roughly to Laif's hand. The waves slammed and rocked them, and, at times, even the lapras seemed afraid. And then, just as suddenly as the whirling mass of wind and waves had started pummeling them, it was over. "I think we're in the eye of the storm.. " Laif meekly said to her, softly, as he squeezed her hand reassuringly. "That's good.. " Mi'ko said, with a gasp. She was soaked, out of breath, and had almost lost her back pack... and was sure everything in it had been waterlogged. "At least we're out of trouble now. " she said.  
"I wouldn't quite say that, m'dearie." A rich booming voice called from above them, as the two wrenched their eyes open.. and to their dismay found themselves staring at a pirate ship, flying a Team Rocket flag. 


	3. Chapter 3 -- Enter Team Rocket

-----------------  
So you think you've got friends in high places  
With the power to put us on the run  
Well forgive us these smiles on our faces  
You'll know what power is when we are done  
Son...  
-- Playing With The Big Boys  
The Prince of Egypt  
-----------------  
Part Three -- Enter Team Rocket  
Laif and Mi'ko stared in disbelief as, upon the various platforms of the ship, several people, all bearing the Team Rocket logo in some way shape and or form, made their appearances. Most prominent of all were the two who leapt to immediate sight. A duet of odd preportions, these were the two known as Jesse and James. Mi'ko recognised them almost immediately from the countless times their pictures had been shown on the TV. Jesse, in her usual splendor, had her hair well hidden by a large, rather spectacular looking hat of red, a marvelous fedora, with a plume-like feather bobbing it's way from the brim. The rest of her disguise , though why she needed one Mi'ko found herself wondering, was beyond reasoning, she was so noticeable anyway with that hair, was a red tench coat that billowed about her feet, and managed to hide her usual rocket attire with a wonderful sense of mystery. She'd even dyed that amazing hair of hers from the usual magenta color to a dull brown. Her cohoert, James, with his hair dyed a darker blue (an attempt at black that failed miserably), leaned against her back, wearing a similar, less attractive hat, of brown, with a black band around the top. He wore a pair of sunglasses to hide his face. He was wearing a white shirt enblazoned with the R logo of the Rocket team, though hidden beneath a brown tweed shirt, like those seen upon mobsters in the old movies. A really gawky one, that, if anything, made the fool look more a fool. He smirked smugly as he pulled from his dark slack pockets a rose, and they began.  
"Prepare for trouble!"  
"Make it double!"  
"To protect the world from devestation! "  
"To unite all peoples within our nation ! "  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"  
"To extend our reach -"  
"Are you QUITE done with that? I would LIKE to get my hands on that lapras before the storm kicks in again." The same booming voice said, as suddenly, it's owner came into view.  
Captain, as he was simply known, wasn't the tallest, nor the burliest of the Rockets. And yet as he stepped into view, the two who had been spouting off immediately began to cavort about as if he were their leader. "Sorry Captain." The girl called cooingly as she dashed back. "Yeah, Captain, sorry!" said the goofy boy. He nodded to them, accepting their apologies, and then strode his way towards the end of the ship upon which the two had stood before. His face was hard-set, like stone, without an inch of hair, giving him the look of an angry young man, even though he was smiling. And the smile it'self was one of a dark, ominous maw of pearly whites, like the jaws of a shark. His eyes, equally dark, peered at them from sunken sockets of shadowy birth, their brownish black irises gleaming with an almost firey gaze. Staring at them from behind a froppy set of bangs that, like the rest of his jet-black hair, came in strings upon his face, he turns them a smile. He wore not the typical garb you'd see on a Rocket, but a dark, leather trench coat that bore, upon the back, a red letter R, which could stand for only one thing. And underneath that he wore a regular, plain shirt, of orange in hue. A sweater, really. And a pair of tight slacks, of the darkest black hue. At his side, hanging from a belt, instead of a pokeball, was a cutlass in a fine scabbard. But the blade didn't sheathed for long.  
"Hand over the pokemon.." Captain said, coldly, as the blade sang it's way from it's harness. "Or we'll make tentacruel bait out of you." He sneered in their direction evilly, and smiles, motioning two other rockets toward the front of the boat. The fource of five against two easily threatened to end in a force of five against none. Still....  
"You can't have our pokemon!" Laif declared angrilly, at the Rockets, already working on cutting the rope. Snap, and away, into the water, the teathering went. He pushed Mi'ko behind him. "Get back, Mi'ko, they could be dangerous." "Forget about me, Laif, Get yourself safe too!" Mi'ko snapped at him, trying to pull him aside. The Rockets, especially Captain, sneered down at the two 'runty kids' that seemed determined to be a trouble. "Jesse! James! Get your butts down there with your -rat- and take care of those kids!" Captain bellowed. The two goofy looking Rockets nodded. "I AIN'T A RAT!" A bellow, however, erupted from somewhere else on deck, before a meowth hopped his way into view. He was wearing quite the cute little sailor's outfit, as well. Perhaps it was Jesse's idea. Perhaps it was his own. The Meowth peered at the two kids, and grinned at them. "Da Captain says you better give up d'em Pokemon, an' w'ot da captain says goes!" he grinned, and splayed a set of nasty looking claws at them, while, at the same time, Jesse and James were trying to figure out-- "But Captain, how do we get DOWN there?" James whined loudly as he peered down at the lapras. "I Don't want to get my clothes wet!" Jesse sulked angrilly, about the thought of the water. "Why not Jesse, seems to me your -already- all washed up." James retorted. And of course, James' retort was answered with Jesse's hand flying for his face. Which erupted into a full blown argument between the two.   
Captain rolled his eyes, and covered his face with a hand, rubbing at the bridge of his nose with one finger. The meowth, growling, and growing ever increasingly angry at the two, looked ready to explode. The rest of the Crew just stood there trying to look menacing while at the same time trying -not- to be embarressed by James and Jesse. Mi'ko, in the mean time, looked to Laif, and whispered in hisear. "Let's see if while their distracted we can surf away.." Laif nodded in agreement. The Team Rockets were, to say the least, annoying, and, if they broke up their spat soon they could be downright-- "And where do you think -you're- going?"Captain snarled down at the two brats at the same time that the meowth leps at Jesse and James' faces, and scratched them into silence -- Dangerous. Laif and Mi'ko waved to the ship and it's crew. "Well you all looked so busy, and we didn't want to bother you so, we thought we'd just be going now." Mi'ko said, bravely, as she and Laif started to pull away from the ship with the lapras's aide.  
But as they were doing that, Captain was directing Jesse, James, and Meowth towards them, armed to the teeth with net-guns. "Grab them, Catch them!" Captain shouted angrilly at the three, as Jesse and James bumbled their way foreward. And even as they were rushing for the two, the storm was picking up again about them. Laif yelled, "MI'KO! HOLD ON TIGHT!" As, just as violently as before, the winds were suddenly whirling about them. The sea became rough one more, tossing and bolting into the air, swirling around them. Just as Jesse and James fired, a giant wave bigger then even the boat that towered above the lapras and it's passangers came sweeping towards all.   
-----------------  
"LOOK OUT!" The words rang in Mi'ko's mind seconds before the water deafened her, and she found herself choking out air, and gulping in water. She bobbed to the surface, gasping from the salt in her mouth, from the unbearable shallowness that now filled her every breath. Something floated by her.. It was the pokeball, it's chain caught on a bit of wood.. -wood-?! She found herself searching. The ship had been hit too, and was going out of control. Jesse and James had gotten hold of the Lapras, and now, with their meowth clinging to Jessie's hair with it's claws. But where was Laif? There was a terible instant when she didn't know where she was, before she spotted him, and started swimming, dropping the pokeball around her neck with care as she approached. But where was the boat? As she reached Laif, and grabbed hold of him, she could see he was unconcious... that was bad enough. But things were about to go from bad to worse. Suddenly, from nowhere the boat came crashing foreward, about to run them over. Mi'ko turned, and screamed....   
She was plunged into darkness, and only the sound of silence filled her ears. She felt, oddly, calm. She opened her eyes, and though the water stung to do so, she looked about, to find Laif... and she saw him... falling so far out of reach. She dove as best she could while still under the waves, still in the crashing, frozen sea. she reached out... and grabbed a wrist. Her head swam with her as she slowly climbed surfaceward, Laif in tow. Breaking the surface, she coughed and gasped... air, sweet air... noticing a large plank of wood floating before her, in the bleary reaches of her mind, she swam Laif over, grabbing the board with on arm, and just barely hefting the heavier boy over onto it to keep him afloat. Thinking of the pokeball, she popped it open, and, with as steady a voice she could manage, called out, "Mistique, go..".. the vaporean exploded into the water in time to see her trainer's friend and savior black out.  
-----------------  
"You failed." The voice in her head whispered. "I know." She replied softly, though her lips did not move. The blackness was lifting. The beach was plain again. And she was nine years old once more, standing near an equally younger Laif, and a small eevee. "You had a chance, one chance, to save us." Laif said, softly, as he watched her face. "I tried." she admitted softly. "You -tried-. We're going to die." Laif said, his eyes narrowing. "Trying doesn't mean anything if you die, Mi'ko." The boy turned away, and Mi'ko frowned. "I didn't.. I just... I'm hopeless." The boy nodded.. and then said, softly, "Mi'ko you have to survive." She was stunned. "I have to....?" She said, finally, when she felt she could talk. "Survive.." The voice whispered, again, to her as her companion suddenly seemed to fade. "Laif? Laif Don't go! Don't levae me alone, Laif! LAIF!"  
"Laif.." the word managed it's way out of her lips, before she coughed up a surge of water that stung her throat, that spilled to the sandy beach beneath her. Sand? A Beach? The sunlight on her face hurt as she wrenched her eyes painfully open, making her squint them, before, with strength that was waining, she pushed her aching joints to work, using them to push herself up, from laying, on the beach shore, where high tide had left her, to her hands and knees, to sitting up, rubbing at her eyes with the palms of her hands, and then with her fingertips. She was on a beach shore, she concluded, looking about her, an obviously deserted one.. So where was Fuschia? Or Cinnebar, for that matter? She didn't know. Stretching out before her, was vast, vast open sea, that shone, blue, with the setting sun, before her. the same sun that had avakened her to her current perdicament.  
The sun that was now taunting her, as it sunk, beneath the waves, slowly, turning the sky pink, like the blush of a young child's cheek. Sighing, she watched this for a while, adn then realized she had better find Laif -- if he had survived -- and the vaporean. She looked around the beach... and found she wouldn't have to go far. "LAIF!" She all but shrieked, choking breifly on another stinging cough up of water, that she spilled in her lap. Scrambling to her feet after a hacking bout of air, she all but leaped upon the still form of her friend, who, to some miricle, was still breathing.. though in faint, rasping breaths, that suggested something was wrong.. the side of his head was caked in blood -- the ship barreling down on them flashed in her mind, the ship, the shriek of fright she'd given just before going under -- before she realized what had happened, that he had been hit, while she had only sunk into the writhing waves of the sea about them. Brow furrowing, eyes filled with worry, she murmured softly, "Oh Goddish, Laif.." as if begging for an answer..  
"Vaporean.." The answer came from so close she jumped, looking over, to find Mystique standing, peering at the same sight, next to her. The pokemon was, as well, saddened by her master's current position in the sand. Mi'ko murmured, "oh Mysti.. I'm sorry.. " She said, softly, throwing her arms about the water canid, drawing her close, and hugging her. Perhaps that was the only comfort for both, for the longest time, as they sat, the setting sun sinking past their sight as they set.. And as the cold night winds picked up, like ice, about them, they realized the caves that they ahd each only barely noticed before, stretching out before them, was their only hope for the night. "Mysti, you gotta help me get him into the caves.." She said, as she pulled the thick off her shoulders, and set it on the ground, before standing. As the vaporean watched, she walked over, and, grunting, drug the prone boy over to the garment, laying his head down upon it.  
"Gotta stop the bleeding.." Was all Mi'ko remarks, before she silently wrapped the sweater about his head, thankful that she'd thought to wear it over her regular clothing, and then, sighing, looked towards Mystique. "C'mon..We've got a long night ahead of us." "Vapor, Vapor." the pokemon replied, as Trainer-to-be grabbed, once more, of her unconcious friend, and started dragging him towards the caves, and into the shelter of their dark recesses, followed by the determined, and distressed pokemon. 


	4. Chapter 4 -- The Ice Caverns of Sea Foam...

-----------------  
"How will I start tommorrow, without you here  
Who's spark will guide me, when all the answers disappear  
Is it too late, are you too far gone to stay?  
Best friends forever, should never have to go away  
What will I do, you know I'm only half without you  
How will I make it through..  
-- If Only Tears Could Bring You Back  
Midnight Sons  
-----------------  
Part Four -- The Ice Caverns of Sea Foam  
"Still no news, Mrs. Meyuzami. We'll keep looking, though, of that, you can be sure. Mmhmm. Yes, we'll let you and your husband know the first sign of anything we get. Thank you. Have a good night." Chief McPherson pushed the button on the videophone, hanging up on the distraught Lavender Town pokecenter nurse, and sighed, covering his face with his hand. Chances were, this wasn't going to turn out a very pretty one. It had been nearly a week since the girl had disappeared from her home in the middle of the night, and there was still little to no sign. They had heard of some trainers near Fuchsia city seeing a girl like the missing Mi'ko running from an angry Nidoran, but since then, nothing more. They now had officeres searching Fuchsia for her.. and for any news of her. But so far, it had been fruitless. And, deep inside, he didn't want to have to be the one to tell the parents of the missing girl that she couldn't be found. Because, deep inside, he knew just how much losing a family member could be.   
Just then, the door to his office opened, and Jenny, one of his many, fine officers, walked in. "Chief, " she said, sounding oddly quiet, and reserved, "There's ... news, about the Lavender girl, sir." Jenny remarked, softly, looking remorseful. The Chief nodded sternly, and said, "Well, Jenny? What is it?" As he watched her with a professional air. Jenny nodded, knowing he wanted an answer, and, stepping out of the room for a moment, beckoned him to follow her. As they walked, the woman officer briefed him, assuring him that they had found definite proof of the girl, but that he probably wouldn't like it. The Chief, as usual, grunted something about that remaining to be seen, and followed her into a room, where, already, several other officers had gathered and were catelogging notes of the findings. As the Chief entered, most of them scattered, leaving the Chief to his inspection.  
An hour later, the Chief was in his car, pulling up in front of the Meyuzami residence, on Gastly Dead End in Lavender Town. As he got out of the car, the bag he held in his arms was already iradiating the bad feelings it's contents would cause for the owners of the house. The car stopped, and, The Chief, and his growlithe (well, one of them) Duke soon assembled themselves outside the black and white, getting ready for, perhaps, what was going to be one of their hardest assignments yet. But the Chief kept the stern look to his face, the businesslike demeanor to his walk and stance. Briskly walking up the paved way to the door of the semi-modest duplex home, he looked at Duke, and then the door. With a cough, making sure he was ready for this, he reached out, and rang the doorbell. The door soon opened, with a near frantic Joy, still in her nurses outfit, standing before him. "Mi'ko?" She stated, hopefully, before, seeing who it was, she sighed, breifly crestfallen. "Miss Meyuzami, we have news about your daughter.." The Chief said.  
Reynard Meyuzami was walking down the steps from his daughter's room, where he and Joy had been sitting, staring at the many posters and books, trying to figure out where she had gone, when, as he went to pass the kitchen, Joy, at the door, gave a heartfelt gasp, and took off running for their bedroom in the back, sobbing. He could only blink breifly, before approaching the doorway, where the Chief of Police still stood, a frown on his face. "Chief McPherson.." He greated the stately man, as he approached. "I'm.. to supposed there's news?" He said, already feeling the dread. As he came closer, he could see McPherson was holding something. Something.. that turned into the tattered remains, empty, of Mi'ko's hiking backpack, ripped, still half soggy with sea water. "I'm sorry, Reynard.." the solid, hardly emotional man said, handing it over. "This was found by some swimmers near the shore of Fuschia... We're going to start combing the water for a body tommorrow." But all Reynard could do was accept the backpack, and nod. "Thank you.." He said.. before closing the door to McPherson's back, and walking to the couch. Sighing, slumping onto it, he used the backpack's ripped material, to hide the tears, as they started down his face.  
-----------------  
The dripping of water, rythmic, dull, woke Mi'ko up, this day, as it had the day before, and the day before that. Dripping dripping dripping. The ice above head was constantly melting and reforming, and that wasn't the annoying part. The annoying part was when the fires she had been starting using sticks, and peices of flint she'd found along the trails, left by other hikers, went out because of the dripping. Sighing, she rolled over. The fire was still going.. she was glad. Laif was still out of it, had been, for a long time.. But she managed to get him to drink water, even when she couldn't feed him. Mistique lay curled next to him, trying to keep the warmth in. Warmth.. Mi'ko sighed, uttering a few words, perchance, that she shouldn't know, because of the cold, that came every night, and left during the day. She couldn't understand why it did that, left for the day, letting the summer sun heat the cave like it did, and then came back at night. But now she was awake. Awake meant she had a priority. A prioity to try, as she had been trying for many ... days? She didn't know any more. To try and escape the cold caverns, with water pokemon abound.  
Sitting up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked about, and sighed heavily. She'd better get a drink of water for them both, and then get her and her companions out and on their way soon. She didn't want to encounter more pokemon then she had to. They were tough, in this cave, and all she had for protection was Mistique, who, though she was a good fighter, wasn't the greatest against the ice and water pokemon the caves contained. She sighed again, looking towards trainer and pokemon sadly.. She had gotten them both into this fix, and chances were she wouldn't be able to get them out. But she had to try, that she knew, and felt, heavy as a rock in her heart. So, after a few more moments of quiet thought on her own (As long as a silent prayer for their safety) she trudged to her feet, and, standing, she turns, and, silence her guide, save for the drip of water falling nearby, picked her hat off the ground.  
Approaching a puddle, she dipped the hat in, and held it close, to keep much of the drip from falling out over her worn coveralls and shirt, before walking over, and, setting the hat down on the ground, kneeling at Laif's side, and dipping her hand into the hat, scooping out some water. His mouth was easy to open, and she knew to tilt his head up enough so he could drink. She'd been getting water into him for...days? Now, like this.. After a few more more such scoops, she settled him back down, and finished off a couple of her own scoops. The rest was given to the vaporeon, who wallowed in the wetness about her to stay reasonably moist. After sitting for a few more silent moments, she stood, and, when sure Mistique was ready, she began to 'Clean up Camp'. Picking up all her belongings, and dragging Laif onto the home-made sling she'd created out of some sticks and some string she'd had in her back pocket, trying all the sticks together. As soon as he was settled, onward, into the ark and damp, she and the vaporeon traveled.  
-----------------  
On past what felt like noon they traveled, Mistique leading the way, Mi'ko trailing behind, watching over Laif. The longest roads in the world, she rememberes hearing, once, were those traveled in silence. And this was a killer. But, hope was in sight -- A shore of land was just ahead. Mi'ko started dragging Laif that way, as the ice looked like it would by dying away soon.. She could send the vapoeron on through the waves, to find help, now that she knew there was an outlet. They hit water, shallow, yet numbing as she continued towards the plot of darkish land before them, but Mi'ko continued onward, into the waves, towards the only hope they appeared to have left. It would be a long wade.. But once she got there, the hint of light just past it told her that they would be saved. Just as long as they never gave up hope, and trusted in the vaporeon. Laif had not yet stirred from the odd sleep.. Mi'ko didn't know if he ever would. But he only had to sleep a little longer.. and they'd be free.. and safe.  
It seemed like forever. Forever, and a day. But slowly, finally, Mi'ko was able to drag the litter on which her friend rested onto the ice and pebble shore, where she collapsed, passing out, falling into a sleep that carried dreams her way freely on the wind. Dreams that were suddenly interrupted by a barking call, from the voice of the vaporeon she'd been following after. She stirred, eyes fluttering slightly, before breaking them open. "Misti? What's wrong? Is there a strange--" She broke off, though, abruptly, as, opening her eyes, and rolling over, then standing, she walked up the hill a step, and saw what the commotion was. They'd landed on a bit of ice and dirt, a glacier shelf.. that was also claimed by a bunch of dewgong and seel.. who were not very happy to see them there. Mistique was trying to speak to them, trying to back them off, but they were closing in. And upon seeing Mi'ko peering down at them.. they became rabid with anger at the presence of the human, as well.  
".. When it rains, it pours.." Remarked the girl hoarsely to herself, before she turned... To find other angry seel converging from behind. She screamed in surprise, a sound that jerked trhe Vaporeon's attention away from the other pinnepeds. Then, without anything further she could do, she grabbed hold of the psuedo-stretcher to which Laif was pinned.. and started running as fast as she could drag it, towards the point of the ice where light permiated the cave. 


End file.
